Younger Onset Alzheimer’s Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1903 To amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to support individuals with younger onset Alzheimer’s disease. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 27, 2019 Miss RICE of New York (for herself, Ms. STEFANIK, Mr. KING of New York, Mr. TRONE, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, and Ms. WATERS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to support individuals with younger onset Alzheimer’s disease. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Younger Onset Alz- 4 heimer’s Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress finds the following: 7 (1) Approximately 5,800,000 individuals in the 8 United States are living with Alzheimer’s disease. 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:11 Apr 09, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1903.IH H1903 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 1903 IH This includes approximately 200,000 individuals 1 with younger onset Alzheimer’s disease. 2 (2) Alzheimer’s disease costs the United States 3 more than $290,000,000 per year, including 4 $195,000,000 in costs to Medicare and Medicaid. 5 (3) The Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 6 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.) includes services that focus on 7 the needs of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and 8 related disorders. The need to specifically support 9 individuals with younger onset Alzheimer’s disease is 10 growing. 11 SEC. 3. YOUNGER ONSET ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE. 12 The Older Americans Act of 1965 is amended— 13 (1) in section 102 (42 U.S.C. 3002), by adding 14 at the end the following: 15 ‘‘(55) The term ‘younger onset Alzheimer’s dis- 16 ease’, with respect to an individual, means an indi- 17 vidual with Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder 18 who has not attained 60 years of age.’’; 19 (2) in section 302(3) (42 U.S.C. 3022(3)), by 20 inserting ‘‘, including an individual with younger 21 onset Alzheimer’s disease’’ before the period; 22 (3) in section 711(6) (42 U.S.C. 3058f(6)), by 23 inserting ‘‘of any age’’ after ‘‘individual’’; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:11 Apr 09, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1903.IH H1903 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 1903 IH (4) in section 721(b)(13) (42 U.S.C. 1 3058i(b)(13))— 2 (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘; 3 or’’; 4 (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking the 5 period and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 6 (C) by adding at the end the following: 7 ‘‘(D) individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, 8 including those with younger onset Alzheimer’s 9 disease.’’. 10 SEC. 4. REPORT. 11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 300 days after the 12 date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, 13 the Assistant Secretary for Aging shall submit a report, 14 to the committees of Congress described in subsection (b), 15 that includes— 16 (1) an overview of programmatic functions and 17 performance with respect to the amendments made 18 by section 3, including information about individuals 19 with younger onset Alzheimer’s disease; and 20 (2) an identification of the gaps in needs of in- 21 dividuals with younger onset Alzheimer’s disease. 22 (b) COMMITTEES.—The committees of Congress de- 23 scribed in this subsection are— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:11 Apr 09, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1903.IH H1903 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 1903 IH (1) the Special Committee on Aging, the Com- 1 mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, 2 and the Committee on Finance, of the Senate; and 3 (2) the Committee on Education and Labor, 4 and the Committee on Energy and Commerce, of the 5 House of Representatives. 6 SEC. 5. DEFINITION OF YOUNGER ONSET ALZHEIMER’S DIS- 7 EASE. 8 In this Act, the term ‘‘younger onset Alzheimer’s dis- 9 ease’’ has the meaning given the term in section 102(55) 10 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3002(55)), 11 as added by section 3. 12 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:11 Apr 09, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H1903.IH H1903 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS